There is a need for a vehicular viewing system that allows the recording and viewing of events occurring either outside the vehicle or inside the vehicle. Currently, the most popular viewing systems are mirrors, such as side view mirrors placed outside the vehicle or rear view mirrors placed diagonally above the driver.
Typically, the mirrors used in passenger, recreational, and commercial vehicles such as cars, vans and trucks provide a less than satisfactory means for viewing events occurring inside and outside the vehicle. For example, mirrors only allow the viewing of a limited area around the outside of the vehicle, and often leave blind spots such that the driver cannot see vehicles proximal and adjacent to the driver's car. The driver's lack of awareness of cars in the blind spots created by these mirrors increases the danger that the driver may steer his vehicle into an unseen adjacent car. Mirrors also distract the driver's attention by requiring adjustments so that the driver can increase the viewing area of the mirror. Further, during night driving, mirrors reflect into the driver's eyes the light from nearby vehicles, often causing night blindness. Side view mirrors additionally create wind drag, limiting the efficiency of the vehicle engine. These mirrors are also exposed and are easily damaged if the vehicle side swipes another object. Moreover, passengers and objects located within the vehicle can block the driver's mirror-assisted view of areas outside the vehicle.
Mirrors provide less than optimum vehicular security systems. For example, mirrors mounted on a truck do not give the truck driver an unobstructed view of the areas immediately adjacent the rear door of the truck. The driver thus may not be able to tell when unauthorized individuals approach the rear door to tamper with the truck. Mirrors on recreational vehicles likewise prove inadequate for occupants attempting to monitor suspicious activity outside the vehicles, especially when the vehicles are parked, e.g., at an RV campground or the like. Rear view mirrors in vehicles subject to public use, such as busses or taxicabs, only furnish partial views of the vehicle interior, and have no capability for recording or storing images of events which occur inside the vehicles.
Recently, a number of video camera systems have been suggested to alleviate some of the problems associated with mirrors. For example, the consolidated rear-view camera described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,321 attempts to solve this problem by placing cameras on the side of the vehicles in protruding fairing arrangements. The camera systems described prior to the present application tend to employ either large cameras or cameras that are somehow exposed or visible to passerby and to passengers. Such visible cameras are a lure for vandals and thieves, and are exposed to damage from collisions with objects outside the car. When placed outside the vehicle, such cameras can be stolen or damaged by passersby. Such cameras can also attract thieves looking to steal customized vehicles. When placed inside the vehicle, such cameras can cause passengers or customers of, say, taxi cabs, to feel uncomfortable or annoyed because of loss of privacy.
Additionally, conventional vehicular camera systems distract from the aesthetic appeal of the interior and exterior of the vehicle. Cameras which are visible from either the interior or the exterior of the vehicle or both give the impression of being added as an afterthought to the vehicle, rather than conveying the impression of being an integrated component of the vehicle.
In the recreational vehicle industry, video cameras may serve as a necessary safety feature. A video camera, mounted on the rear of a recreation vehicle with a small monitor placed inside the main cab of the vehicle, increases the driver's field of vision during recreational vehicle operation. Video cameras presently manufactured for recreational vehicles, however, are exposed to weather elements such as wind, rain, sleet, snow and dust, and, as is the case with other types of vehicles, are prime targets for theft and vandalism.
It is also desirable for truck drivers to see into blind spots as they make wide right turns or as they back the truck up. Conventional camera systems in trucks are exposed to passersby and attract vandals and thieves.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a concealed vehicular camera system that can be integrated into traditional vehicle components, such as lights and mirrors, and that can inexpensively be manufactured and installed.